Research papers in political science are usually 4 to 5 pages or more utilizing the academic literature of politics.
Writing Tips
1. Outline- A good political science paper should start with an outline. Outlines aid in the organization of the paper and help develop the content of your paper.
2. Title- All titles should be specific and related to your topic. For example, if you are talking about the peace negotiations in the Middle East, an ideal title would be "The Middle East Peace Process."
3.Formatting and Style- Your paper should be black ink typewritten with 1in margins, 12pci, double-spaced, page numbered, and stapled.
4. Grammar and Punctuation- Utilize commas, apostrophes, semicolons correctly. Pay close attention to possessive pronouns such as it, its, their, their, he and she.
5.Reference section - research tools should include journals, newspapers, magazines and political science books. All should be named in your references; the works cited or reference section of your paper should follow the Chicago Manual of Style.
6. Documentation- Use parenthetical citations with author's name, page number and date if no page number is available after the sentence or sentences to be documented. For quotations exceeding 4 lines, indent and single space the quotation.
7. Use spell check.
8. Write in a formal tone using the third person.
9. Underline, italicize or place in quotes the proper names of books, magazines, poems and other works of art. Capitalize the titles of proper names of people, places and things.
10. Proofread your paper yourself or let a friend or tutor at the Writing Center proofread it. Writing the Research Paper
Title Page
Your title page is a single page including the title, your name, instructor's name and date.
Introduction
A good introduction introduces your topic and states the purpose and goal of the paper. It should also include a clear thesis. Your thesis should be located towards the end of the introductory paragraph and/or in the conclusion.
Body of Paper
The body of the paper contains the content of your paper. All the information is discussed here. For organization, divide your information into paragraphs. The body of the paper contains the main ideas located in the topic sentence of each paragraph.
Conclusion
The conclusion is a discussion of what is proposed in your introduction and any additional comments on improvement or hopes for the future.
Reference Section
Your reference section should contain acceptable political science sources from within your research tools of journals, newspapers, magazines and political science books. Here is a list of frequently used reference sources:
- American Journal of Politics
- American Political Science Review
- British Journal of Political Science
- Comparative Politics
- Comparative Political Studies
- Electoral Studies
- Foreign Affairs
- Foreign Policy
- Journal of Politics
- Parliamentary Affairs
- International Organization
- Review of Politics
- Southern Political Review
- West European Politics
Created by D'Anya Mortimer and Ericka Eason, from material provided by Dr. Edward DeClair, Associate Professor of Political Science.